Pump combiner for multi-clad fibers

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a fiber pump combiner, comprising, a multi-clad fiber comprising an outer cladding layer and an inner cladding layer, a plurality of tapered trenches formed in the inner cladding layer and a plurality of pump fibers, wherein the plurality of pump fibers are tapered and fused into corresponding ones of the plurality of tapered trenches.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/397,719 filed Jan. 3, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Generally, the field of the present disclosed technology relates tocombining optical power in diode pumped laser. More particularly, thepresent disclosed technology relates to pump combiners for multi-cladfibers.

BACKGROUND

High power semiconductor lasers are used to pump cladding pumped fiberlasers. Fiber lasers are capable of producing output power in themultiple kW range and are used in a variety of applications that requirehigh output power such as cutting, welding, material processing (e.g.,marking, engraving, and cutting) and directed energy. Achieving thepower levels required for these applications is often accomplished bycombining the fiber-coupled outputs of multiple diode modules to pumpactive fibers.

When combining diode pumped fibers it is often convenient to perform thebeam combination of the coupled fibers with a fiber based beam combinerthat couples a plurality of optical fibers to a single signal fiber.Conventionally, combining multiple fibers to achieve higher power caneither reduce optical efficiency or beam quality of the pump fibers.High power (kilowatt-class) fiber pump combiners are vulnerable to smallimperfections and losses which have significant impact on reliability.

Commonly-used double clad fibers use a low-index polymer buffer to guidehigh power pump light in the fiber. When guiding multiple kW of pumppower this glass—polymer interface is very sensitive to polymerrecoating delamination, defects in the buffer, and contamination, chips,and scratches that occur during the fiber handling and manufacturingprocess. These defects are a major source of fiber failure in thefactory and in the field.

By guiding diode laser pump light in an active fiber with a glass—glassinterface, many of the disadvantages of glass/polymer interface can beovercome. In such multi-clad fibers, fluorosilicate glass claddingguides the pump light, making the fiber robust to damage orcontamination that occurs during fiber stripping, cleaning, cleaving,splicing and recoating. By guiding the pump light with a glass to glassinterface, the buffer avoids the vast majority of interaction with thepump light, thus preventing the gradual degradation or burning that canoccur with traditional double clad fiber. One draw-back of glass-cladfibers is that there aren't any developed pump combiners specificallydesigned for use in glass-clad fibers that leave the fiber coreunperturbed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a multi-cladfiber configured to be combine with one or more pump fibers according toaspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 1B depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly comprising multi-clad fiber coupled to a plurality of pumpfibers.

FIG. 1C depicts an example of an “over-sleeve” type combiner.

FIG. 2A depicts a side cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly for use with glass clad fiber according to aspects of thisdisclosure

FIG. 2B depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly showing a plurality of pump fibers fused into tapered trenchesin inner cladding according to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 2C depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly showing the plurality of pump fibers fused into taperedtrenches in inner cladding according to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a 3-D schematic of an example of a combiner assembly accordingto aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a schematic depicting an example of a system comprising acounter-pumped fiber amplifier laser architecture incorporating acombiner assembly including tapered pump fibers fused into taperedtrenches according to aspects of this disclosure

FIG. 4B is a graph illustrating counter-pumped amplifier modelsaccording to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic depicting an example of a system comprising aco-pumped and counter-pumped master oscillator pumped amplifier (MOPA)fiber laser according to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a schematic depicting an example of a system comprising aco-pumped and counter-pumped fiber laser architecture incorporating acombiner assembly including tapered pump fibers fused into taperedtrenches according to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a graph illustrating co-and counter-pumped pump and signalpower levels of a co-and counter pumped fiber laser according to aspectsof this disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process for forming a combiner assembly accordingto aspects of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

As used in this application and in the claims, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the” include the plural forms unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Additionally, the term “includes” means “comprises.”Further, the term “coupled” does not exclude the presence ofintermediate elements between the coupled items.

The systems, apparatus, and methods described herein should not beconstrued as limiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure isdirected toward all novel and non-obvious features and aspects of thevarious disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations andsub-combinations with one another. The disclosed systems, methods, andapparatus are not limited to any specific aspect or feature orcombinations thereof, nor do the disclosed systems, methods, andapparatus require that any one or more specific advantages be present orproblems be solved. Any theories of operation are to facilitateexplanation, but the disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus are notlimited to such theories of operation.

Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are describedin a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it shouldbe understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement,unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forthbelow. For example, operations described sequentially may in some casesbe rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake ofsimplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in whichthe disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus can be used in conjunctionwith other systems, methods, and apparatus. Additionally, thedescription sometimes uses terms like “produce” and “provide” todescribe the disclosed methods. These terms are high-level abstractionsof the actual operations that are performed. The actual operations thatcorrespond to these terms will vary depending on the particularimplementation and are readily discernible by one of ordinary skill inthe art.

In some examples, values, procedures, or apparatus' are referred to as“lowest”, “best”, “minimum,” or the like. It will be appreciated thatsuch descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection among manyused functional alternatives can be made, and such selections need notbe better, smaller, or otherwise preferable to other selections.Examples are described with reference to directions indicated as“above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and the like. These terms are usedfor convenient description, but do not imply any particular spatialorientation.

Disclosed herein is a pump combiner designed to leave the active fibercore undisturbed, allowing for counter propagation pumping of the laseramplifier, while efficiently coupling multiple kilowatts of power intothe active fiber. The pump combiner preserves the brightness of the pumplaser enabling compatibility with multi-clad active fibers and leavesthe signal core unperturbed.

This combiner includes tapered trenches cut into the side of amulti-clad fiber. The trenches may be designed to be cut sufficientlydeep for the pump fibers to lay into the grooves without disturbing anactive core of the fiber, ensuring little to no loss or degradation ofthe beam quality or polarization purity of the signal beam. Thesegrooves also provide improved fiber handling by guiding the pump fibersinto a specific position of the pump combiner, enabling low-loss andbrightness preserving pump coupling. An additional advantage of thesegrooves is the improved beam quality preservation of the pump fibers byreducing the effective area of the pump and signal fibers. Thus, thepump combiner design will reduce optical loss, improvemanufacturability, and improve the robustness/manufacturability ofkW-class fiber laser systems. Furthermore, the disclosed pump combineris compatible with both round and other shaped fibers and withpolarization-maintaining fibers.

The disclosed pump combiner is compatible with multi-clad fiber, forexample, polymer-clad fibers and/or glass-clad fibers having a signalcore wherein the signal core is a single mode core or a few mode core(i.e., large mode area fibers). The disclosed pump combiner efficientlylaunches the pump light into the active fiber while simultaneouslysupporting the high output power of the signal beam. The disclosed pumpcombiner is low loss for both the signal and pump fibers which aids inavoiding excessive heat load on the pump combiner and maintaining highsystem efficiency, and preserving the brightness of the pump modules. Inaddition, the disclosed pump combiner does not disturb the high beamquality and high polarization purity required for high power systems.The disclosed pump combiner addresses all these issues and provides asuperior solution in terms of pump brightness preservation andmanufacturing robustness compared to existing pump signal combinertechnologies.

FIG. 1A depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a multi-cladfiber 100 configured to be combine with one or more pump fibers.Multi-clad fiber 100 may be any of a variety of fibers includingglass-clad fiber or polymer clad fiber. Multi-clad fiber 100 may have anouter cladding layer 104 (not shown in FIG. 1A, see FIG. 1B) that isstripped away, an inner cladding layer 106 and a signal layer 108. Thesecombiners are compatible with a variety of fibers including hexagonalmulti-clad fibers, D-shaped glass-clad fibers, chirally-coupled fibersand pulsed mode (PM) fibers, for example. Such combiners may also beapplied to traditional polymer-clad fibers as well.

In an example, multi-clad fiber 100 has tapered trenches 102 configuredto receive and fuse to correspondingly tapered pump fibers. Taperedtrenches 102 can be formed to cut through glass cladding. A length ofmulti-clad fiber 100 may be stripped of outer cladding 104 so thattrenches 102 may be formed in inner cladding layer 106. The depth of thetrenches 102 may be tapered along the length of the multi-clad fiber 100to prevent pump fibers from having to bend significantly. The depth canrange from about equal to a radius of the pump fibers to be disposed intrenches 102 to a depth of about zero. In other examples, the depths maybe different and claimed subject matter is not so limited.

Outer cladding 104, inner cladding layer 106 and signal layer 108 maycomprise glass such as silica, fluorosilica, doped silica, or the likeor any combinations thereof. The trenches for the pump combinerdisclosed herein may also be formed in Yb-doped fibers, Yb-doped PMfibers, Er-doped fibers, Er-doped PM fibers, Thulium-doped fibers, andTm-doped PM fibers.

In some examples, trenches 102 may be formed in both outer claddinglayer 104 and inner cladding layer 106 so that stripping of the outercladding layer 104 may be eliminated as a fabrication step. Trenches 102may be formed in multi-clad fiber 100 by a variety of methods known tothose of skill in the art. For example, trenches 102 may be etched usingphotolithographic methods, laser ablation, ablated with a CO₂ laser, aplasma arc, or the like or any combinations thereof. In an example,multi-clad fiber 100 may be an active fiber including signal layer 108.In another example, multi-clad fiber 100 may be a passive fiber withouta signal layer 108.

FIG. 1B depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of an assembly 150(i.e., a combiner) comprising multi-clad fiber 100 coupled to aplurality of pump fibers 114. For clarity, several pump fibers 114 arelabeled with element numbers. The view in FIG. 1B is facingfiber-to-pump interface surface 110. Pump fibers 114 may be tapered andfused into respective tapered trenches 102. Outer cladding layer 104 canbe seen between pump fibers 114. The trenches are cut just where theyare needed, so the cladding can extend over the remaining length of thefiber.

In an example, tapered pump fibers 114 are formed by removal ofprotective outer cladding layers, for example, through a wet etch orother methods known to those of skill in the art. In another example,pump fibers 114 may be fabricated with a coreless fiber. Pump fibers 114are then tapered to match the tapered trenches 102 on the multi-cladfiber 100. Tapered pump fibers 114 may then be inserted into the taperedtrenches 102, where pump fibers 114 and multi-clad fiber 100 are splicedtogether by fusing them. Combiner assembly 150 can be recoated withbuffer material, if desired.

Fusing of tapered pump fibers 114 into trenches 102 may be accomplishedby any method known to those of skill in the art. For example, pumpfibers 114 may be collapsed onto multi-clad fiber 100 using a CO₂ laser,plasma arc, van der Waals forces or the like or any combinationsthereof.

Using a CO₂ laser or chemical etching to fabricate the tapered trenchesmay provide precision necessary to only penetrate to a required depth ofthe fiber, thus leaving signal layer 108 and stress rods undisturbed.These tapered trenches 102 and tapered pumps 114 can form a “ball andsocket” type fit to aid in the alignment of the pump 114 and multi-cladfiber 100. The taper of respective pump fibers 114 may match the tapersof trenches 102 such that the pump fibers 114 when mated to trenches 102come to a point flush with a surface of inner cladding layer 106. Fusingpumps 114 into tapered trenches in this way significantly reduces theouter diameter of a pump combiner assembly 150, thus improving combinerassembly 150 brightness preservation.

In an example, inner cladding 106 may be an active fiber. Insertion ofthe pump fibers 114 into an active fiber rather than use of anintermediate passive fiber may eliminate the loss and beam-qualitydegradation associated with a splice between active and passive fiber,and it facilitates power scaling by minimizing the total fiber length(increased threshold for parasitic nonlinear processes). Furthermore,the use of a CO₂ laser or comparable cutting technique to taper pumps114 can limit damage to pump fiber integrity as compared to removingfiber material with mechanical means. The clean, non-contact nature ofCO₂-laser-based processing greatly facilitates fabrication of devicessuitable for high-power operation by eliminating sources of fibercontamination and damage resulting in a monolithic combiner withextremely high power handling capability due to low loss for the pumpfibers 114 and low loss for the signal. This pump signal combinerassembly 150 can be integrated in either active or passive fiber, forthe development of high power fiber laser systems. Moreover, assembly150 can be easily incorporated into pulsed mode (PM), large mode area(LMA), and chirally coupled fibers.

FIG. 1C depicts an example of a conventional “over-sleeve” type combiner160 including pump fibers 114, outer cladding layer 104, inner claddinglayer 106, and core 108. The over-sleeve combiner assembly 160 has pumpfibers 114 disposed on the outer surface of inner cladding 106. Incomparison to over-sleeve combiner 160, combiner 150 (see FIG. 1B) hassubstantially improved beam quality preservation due in part to asubstantially reduced diameter of combiner 150. Actively forming innercladding 106 to accept the pump fibers 114, the outer diameter ofcombiner 150 is substantially reduced as compared to over-sleevecombiner assembly 160.

There are at least two issues that affect the brightness preservation ofa pump/signal combiner: the outer diameter of the combiner and the fillfactor. In an example, 200/220 μm pump fibers with a power content at0.15 NA and an 800 μm cladding diameter active fiber were used tocompare brightness preservation of combiner assembly 150 versusover-sleeve combiner assembly 160. Combiner 150 in this example havingpartially embedded pump fibers 114 has an outer diameter ofapproximately 1.0 mm. Dead space between pump fibers 114 isn't utilized,thus eliminating the dead space which is a primary source of brightnessloss improves brightness preservation. When taking these two effectsinto consideration, such a combiner 150 increases the NA of the pumpmodules from 0.15 NA to approximately 0.22 NA. As a comparison, theouter diameter of the “over-sleeve” combiner 160 is substantially largerat 1.24 mm, and such a combiner couples all of the dead space betweenpump fibers 114 into fiber 100. When the over-sleeve pumps 114 arecollapsed from 1.24 mm down to the 800 um fiber, the expected NA of thepump modules is increased from 0.15 to 0.36 NA. This high NA isincompatible with multi-clad fibers, thus reducing the utility of theover-sleeve approach. However, combiner 150 is compatible with injectinglight into a multi-clad fibers such as triple-clad fiber (TCF).Additionally, combiner assembly 150 can be utilized for co-propagationand counter-propagation pumping.

FIG. 2A depicts a side cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly 250 for use with multi-clad fiber 200 showing one pump fiber214 of a plurality of pump fibers 214 fused into tapered trench 202.Multi-clad fiber 200 may comprise a glass-clad fiber and/or polymer-cladfiber. In an example, pump fiber 214 should be bent very gradually toprevent optical power losses. Insertion of pump fiber 214 (as well asother pump fibers 214 of the plurality) into inner cladding 206 maybegan at point 262 where outer cladding 204 has been stripped away. Pumpfiber 214 may be embedded to its greatest depth in inner cladding 206 atpoint 264 and may gradually taper to point 268. A cross-section ofcombiner assembly 250 at point 264 is shown in FIG. 2B. A cross-sectionof combiner assembly 250 at point 266 is shown in FIG. 2C.

FIG. 2B depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly 250 showing a plurality of pump fibers 214 disposed and/orfused into tapered trenches 202 in inner cladding 206. The cross-sectiondepicted in FIG. 2B is a plane through combiner assembly 250 at point264 of FIG. 2A. As can be seen in FIG. 2B, pump fibers 214 are deeplyembedded into inner cladding 206, are untapered and have their greatestcross-sectional area. In an example, the tapered trenches 202 do notextend into signal layer 208.

FIG. 2C depicts a cross-sectional view of an example of a combinerassembly 250 showing the plurality of pump fibers 214 disposed and/orfused into tapered trenches 202 in inner cladding 206. The cross-sectiondepicted in FIG. 2C is a plane through combiner assembly 250 at point266 of FIG. 2A. As can be seen in FIG. 2C, pump fibers 214 are taperedto a smaller diameter and are less deeply embedded into inner cladding206 than fibers 114 at point 264 depicted in FIG. 2B. Furthermore, dueto the extent to which pump fibers 214 have been tapered thecross-sectional area of fibers 214 is substantially reduced compared tothe cross-sectional area of pump fibers 214 shown in FIG. 2B.

FIG. 3 is a 3-D schematic of an example of combiner assembly 250configured to inject light into a triple-clad fiber (TCF) by mating pumpfibers 214 into tapered trenches 202 etched into outer cladding 204 andinner cladding 206 of multi-clad fiber 200. Multi-clad fiber 200 may bean active or passive fiber. Combiner assembly 250 can be utilized forco-propagation and counter-propagation pumping while maintaining theintegrity of the multi-clad fiber 200.

Combiner assembly 250 addresses several challenges associated withdeveloping a pump suitable for co-propagation and counter-propagationpumping of high power fiber laser systems enabling efficient launch ofpump power into active fiber while simultaneously supporting the highoutput power of the signal beam. Combiner assembly 250 is configured tobe low loss for both signal and pump to avoid excessive heat load on thepump combiner 250 and to maintain high system efficiency, and preservesthe brightness of pump modules. In addition, combiner 250 is configuredto not disturb the high beam quality and high polarization purityrequired for directed energy and other laser systems.

FIG. 4A is a schematic depicting an example of a system 400 comprising acounter-pumped fiber amplifier laser architecture incorporating combinerassembly 250 including tapered pump fibers 214 fused into taperedtrenches 202. System 400 includes a plurality of diode laser modules 402coupled to multi-clad fiber 200 by combiner assembly 250. Multi-cladfiber 200 is coupled to fiber-coupled master oscillator 404 to boostoutput power through the counter-pumped signal 406. System 400 isconfigured to optimize overlap between the pump light and the signal(fiber laser) light. With system 400 pump absorption is optimized andfiber length is reduced (lower nonlinearities). FIG. 4B is a graphillustrating counter-pumped amplifier models demonstrating the way thesignal grows in counter-pumped system 400 over the length of the fiber.

FIG. 5 is a schematic depicting an example of a system 500 comprising aco-pumped and counter-pumped MOPA fiber laser architecture incorporatingcombiner assemblies 250 including tapered pump fibers 214 fused intotapered trenches 202. System 500 includes a plurality of diode lasermodules 402 coupled via combiner assemblies 250 to either end ofmulti-clad fiber 200. Multi-clad fiber 200 is further coupled to fiberlaser master oscillator 404 to boost output power and generate co- andcounter pumped signal 506. System 500 is configured to optimize overlapbetween the pump light and the signal (fiber laser) light. With system500 pump absorption is optimized and fiber length is reduced (lowernonlinearities).

FIG. 6A is a schematic depicting an example of a system 600 comprising aco-pumped and counter-pumped fiber laser architecture incorporatingcombiner assembly 250 including tapered pump fibers 214 fused intotapered trenches 202. System 600 includes a plurality of diode lasermodules 402 coupled through combiner assembly 250 to multi-clad fiber200 via pump fibers 214. On the opposite side, pump fibers 214connecting the remaining laser diode modules 402 are coupled tomulti-clad fiber 200 via a standard combiner 602. The same pumps can beused on either side. They are typically passive fibers with 200/220 or105/125 um fiber diameter. Optional structure 608 may help controlunwanted light in system 600. System 600 includes co-and counter-pumpedfiber laser architecture. It is similar to the co-and counter-pumpedMOPA architecture described with respect to FIG. 5A; however, the poweroutput in signal 606 may be roughly double the input pump power. Bysimultaneously utilizing co- and counter-directional pumping, higheroutput power levels can be achieved with the same pump modules andsimilar length of fiber.

FIG. 6B is a graph illustrating co-and counter-pumped amplifier modelsdemonstrating the way the signal grows in counter-pumped system 600 overthe length of the fiber. By simultaneously utilizing co-andcounter-directional pumping, higher output power levels can be achievedwith the same pump modules and similar length of fiber.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process 700 for forming combiner assembly 250.Process 700 begins at block 702 wherein one or more trenches 202 areformed in multi-clad fiber 200. The trenches may be formed in an innercladding of a multi-clad fiber. The trenches are tapered. Process 700moves to block 704 where the pump fibers are tapered to match the taperof the trenches. Process 700 moves to block 706 where the one or morepump fibers are disposed in corresponding one or more trenches. Process700 moves to block 708 where the pump fibers are fused intocorresponding trenches. Process 700 may be adapted to be used on aglass-clad fiber and/or a polymer clad fiber and claimed subject matteris not limited in this regard.

It is thought that the present disclosed technology and many of theattendant advantages thereof will be understood from the foregoingdescription and it will be apparent that various changes may be made inthe parts thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosed technology or sacrificing all of its material advantages, theforms hereinbefore described being merely exemplary embodiments thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fiber amplifier laser, comprising: a firstplurality of laser diode modules coupled to a first end of a multi-cladfiber; a first plurality of tapered pump fibers coupling the firstplurality of laser diode modules to the second end of the multi-cladfiber via a first pump combiner, wherein the first pump combinercomprises first tapered trenches formed in the multi-clad fiber andwherein the first tapered pump fibers are fused into respective ones ofthe first tapered trenches; and a master oscillator power amplifiercoupled to the multi-clad fiber to amplify a signal generated by thecounter-pumped fiber amplifier laser.
 2. The fiber amplifier laser ofclaim 1, further comprising: a second plurality of laser diode modulescoupled to a second end of the multi-clad fiber; and a second pluralityof tapered pump fibers coupling the second plurality of laser diodemodules to the second end of the multi-clad fiber via a second pumpcombiner, wherein the second pump combiner comprises second taperedtrenches formed in the signal fiber multi-clad fiber and wherein thesecond tapered pump fibers are fused into respective ones of the secondtapered trenches.
 3. The fiber amplifier laser of claim 1, wherein themulti-clad fiber is a glass-clad fiber.
 4. The fiber amplifier laser ofclaim 1, wherein the multi-clad fiber is a polymer-clad fiber.
 5. Afiber amplifier laser, comprising: a first plurality of laser diodemodules coupled to a first end of a multi-clad fiber; a first pluralityof tapered pump fibers coupling the first plurality of laser diodemodules to the second end of the multi-clad fiber via a first pumpcombiner, wherein the first pump combiner comprises first taperedtrenches formed in the signal fiber multi-clad fiber and wherein thefirst tapered pump fibers are fused into respective ones of the firsttapered trenches; a second plurality of laser diode modules coupled to asecond end of the multi-clad fiber; and a second plurality of pumpfibers coupling the second plurality of laser diode modules to thesecond end of the signal fiber multi-clad fiber via a second pumpcombiner to amplify a signal generated by the fiber amplifier laser. 6.The fiber amplifier laser of claim 5, wherein the multi-clad fiber is aglass-clad fiber.
 7. The fiber amplifier laser of claim 5, wherein themulti-clad fiber is a polymer-clad fiber.